Vista
SYSTEMS
OPERATION MANUAL
Document Revision: 1.5
Release Date: July 2005
Part Number: MAN-SPYDER
Vista Systems, Corp.
2001 W. Melinda Lane
Phoenix, AZ 85027
Phone: 602.943.5700
Fax: 623.582.3571
Web: http://www.vistasystems.net
Email: [email protected]
™
2
In the interest of continued product development, Vista Systems, Corp. reserves the right
to make improvements in this manual and the products it describes at any time, without
notice or obligation.
Spyder, Montage, CanvasMaster & ScreenMaster are trademarks of Vista Systems, Corp.
©Vista Systems, Corp. All rights reserved worldwide. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in
any form by any means without written permission from Vista Systems, Corp.
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Table of Contents
Section 1: Important Safety Instructions ................................................................. 4
Section 2: Introduction............................................................................................... 5
Section 3: Model Descriptions................................................................................... 6
3.1 Spyder 200 Series.............................................................................................. 7
3.2 Spyder 300 Series.............................................................................................. 7
3.3 Options............................................................................................................... 8
3.3.1 200X/300X Expansion Option.................................................................. 8
3.3.2 200C/300C Composite/S-Video Option................................................... 8
Section 4: Operation................................................................................................. 10
4.1 Overview.......................................................................................................... 10
4.2 Inputs ............................................................................................................... 11
4.3 Outputs............................................................................................................ 12
4.4 Display............................................................................................................. 13
4.5 Control............................................................................................................ 14
4.5.1 External control protocol for Spyder................................................... 14
Section 5: Physical Specifications.......................................................................... 20
5.1 Rackmount Instructions................................................................................. 20
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Section 1: Important Safety Instructions
This symbol indicates the presence of “dangerous voltage” within the
product enclosure that may be significant enough to cause a risk of
electrical shock.
1) Do not use this device near water or water sources. Do not expose to dripping or
splashing or liquid filled objects such as beverages or vases.
2) WARNING-TO REDUCE THE RISK OF ELECTRICAL SHOCK, DO NOT
EXPOSE THIS DEVICE TO RAIN OR MOISTURE.
3) Unplug this unit during electrical storms and when unused for long periods of time.
4) Do not install this device near heat sources such as radiators, registers, stoves or
other heat producing sources.
5) Do not obstruct ventilation openings in the front or rear of device.
6) A grounding plug type has two blades and a grounding prong. If the provided plug
does not fit into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete
outlet.
7) To completely disconnect the device from the AC main voltage, disconnect the
power supply cord from the AC receptacle.
8) This unit is supplied with a 120V power supply cord (U.S.A. and Canada). For
operation outside the U.S.A. and Canada, qualified personnel must provide for use
with this unit, an appropriate, approved power supply cord which complies with the
end use country requirements.
9) Operator Accessible Fuse: Caution for continued protection against risk of fire,
replace only with same type and rated fuse.
10) Use only manufacturer provided rack mount hardware.
11) Use caution when moving device on tray or rack frame to avoid tip-over.
12) No user serviceable parts inside enclosure.
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Section 2: Introduction
Spyder™ is a compact versatile video processing product with superb capabilities to
blend, window and scale a very wide array of video signals with unparallel quality and
ease.
The compact modular design allows Spyder to be used to display a virtually endless
variety of windows through a single output, or stretch a single input across multiple
displays to create a seamless widescreen image, and do just about anything in-between.
Spyder consists of 2 model families, the 200 and 300 series, each family has multiple
configurations available to meet the most demanding environment and all models have
expansion ability (optional) to provide more inputs/windows or more output/displays or
both. Providing a fast easy solution to expand a system to meet changing requirements or
specifications.
Spyder control can be accomplished multiple ways depending on application:
The easy to use Vista Spyder control software, one of the state of the art Vista Spyder
desktop controllers, or utilizing 3
rd
party control.
This manual is designed to give an overview of Spyder features, functionality and
operation. The detailed operation of will be found in the respective manuals for each
individual control platform, i.e., Software, Desk Top Controller or 3
rd
party control.
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Section 3: Model Descriptions
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3.1 Spyder 200 Series
The 200 series is a 2 RU unit that utilizes 4 I/O modules.
The range of configurations is listed below.
Model Number No. of Inputs No. of Outputs
240* 4 0
204* 0 4
222 2 2
213 1 3
231 3 1
3.2 Spyder 300 Series
The 300 series is a 3RU unit that utilizes 8 I/O modules.
The range of configurations is listed below.
Model Number No. of Inputs No. of Outputs
380* 8 0
308* 0 8
344 4 4
353 5 3
362 6 2
*These models available only with control expansion option. Fixed control versions not
available.
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3.3 Options
Spyder options listed below are available on either 200 or 300 Series products.
Existing units can be retrofitted once shipped but must be returned to the factory for any
of these procedures.
3.3.1 200X/300X Expansion Option
Allows multiple units to be connected together to expand Inputs, Outputs or both.
(See Figure 3.3.1 b on following page)
Figure 3.3.1 a
InfiniBand Cable (Vista P/N CAB-60670)
This cable allows multiple Spyder units to be connected to the Expansion
Ports. This option is only applicable with the 200X or 300X Option.
3.3.2 200C/300C Composite/S-Video Option
When selected this option will provide Composite (BNC) and S-Video (SVHS)
connections on each Input and each Output of the Spyder unit.
Figure 3.3.2 a
Output Input
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Section 4: Operation
4.1 Overview
Spyder is a video processing and windowing system designed by Vista Systems
specifically to offer an uncompromising solution for Windowing, Compositing and
Widescreen display applications. Spyder uses a new advanced architecture that creates
one or more virtual displays (or pixel spaces) up to 6 million pixels in size. Multiple
windows can be placed, tiled, mixed and keyed anywhere within the virtual display.
Using key frames, all windows can be moved individually or simultaneously within the
virtual display using a variety of motion effects and controls such as speed control, z-
order, acceleration and deceleration. Windows can also have borders and drop shadows
each of which have adjustable color, border width, softness, shadow offset and
transparency.
The Spyder uses a soft power scheme. Pressing the Standby switch initiates a power up
cycle and after a short boot time the front panel display will indicate operational status.
Pressing the Standby switch again initiates the power down cycle after which the unit
enters standby mode. There is a hard power switch on the rear that should be used only
when Spyder is in the standby state (Standby Switch LED is off).
The user should avoid disconnecting the primary power source (AC input)
until the unit is in standby mode. Failure to do this could result in hard drive
data corruption.
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4.2 Inputs
Each Input Module has various video connectors on the rear. Generally only 1 Input type
will be connected to any one input module.
Below are listed the standard video formats accepted by Spyder
• 24p, NTSC, PAL, and SECAM
• Analog RGB (SOG, Composite or Separate Sync)
• Analog YUV
• SDI
• HD-SDI
• DVI-Single Link
• DVI-Dual Link
Each input module has a single input connector for the
supported signal types:
ANALOG
SDI/ HD-SDI
DVI
Composite and S-Video (Comp/ S-Vid Optional)
Figure 4.2 a
Input Configuration is accomplished for the selected input type via the control platform
of choice: Vista Systems software, Vista Desktop Controller or 3
rd
party control.
An input can be used as a background mixer, a window mixer, or a key. These settings
are also accomplished from the chosen control type.
Once all the Input sources are connected they can be configured via the “Input
Configuration” in the designated control system.
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4.3 Outputs
Each Output Module has various video connectors on the rear. Conditions exist when
multiple output types can be utilized.
Below are listed the standard video formats accepted by Spyder
• 24p, NTSC, PAL, and SECAM
• Analog RGB (SOG, Composite or Separate Sync)
• Analog YUV
• SDI
• HD-SDI
• (2) DVI-Single Link
• (2) DVI-Dual Link
• (1) DVI Twin Link
Each output module has a single connector for the
supported signal types:
ANALOG
SDI/HD-SDI
DVI
DVI –Dual
Composite and S-Video (Comp/S-Vid Optional)
Figure 4.3 a
As with Inputs, all output settings are configured and set up through the control system of
choice.
Please refer to the desired control system’s operator manual for detailed instruction.
Under certain conditions multiple output connector types can be used simultaneously,
below are a few examples.
• DVI & Analog: When an output is configured for Non-Interlaced Computer
Signals
• SDI & Analog: When configured for 480i/575i
• HD-SDI & Analog: When configured for 1080i
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4.4 Display
The Spyder enclosure is equipped with a status/error display located on the front
panel. This is helpful in determining proper start-up and shut-down of the unit, as
well as indicating error messages. The following diagram indicates the status when
the unit has been booted up and has determined the version, frame, I/O configuration
and IP address.
Figure 4.4 a
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4.5 Control
Spyder is a very versatile video processing system and lends itself to a wide variety of
applications. Many applications require different types of control systems and
features. Vista Systems has addressed many of these requirements by offering a range
of controls and solutions.
Spyder ships with the current Windows based software package (Vista Spyder Basic).
Vista also offers desktop controllers from small units to do elegant but simple control
to large controllers designed for the most demanding live environment. Vista also
makes control protocol available for 3
rd
party control systems.
Please contact Vista Systems for further information on the current line of Spyder
4.5.1 External control protocol for Spyder
The Spyder frame uses an ASCII based command system for external control.
Connectivity is available via an RJ-45 connection to the frame. Commands and
arguments are delineated by a single space character.
Ethernet Connectivity
You can control the Spyder frame remotely by sending the
ASCII commands listed below within a UDP packet sent to
port 11116 on the frame. Each message sent to Spyder over
UDP must be precluded by a 10 byte message header. This
header is shown below:
UDP Message Header
Index Character
0 s
1 p
2 y
3 d
4 e
5 r
6 0x00 (hex)
7 0x00 (hex)
8 0x00 (hex)
9 0x00 (hex)
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Command Table: Command set applies to
Note: Some commands listed
display their last argument as
‘Argument x ~ XX:’. These
commands allow the last
argument field to be repeated,
allowing multiples of the last
argument to be specified with a
single command.
Note: Some commands listed
display argument(s) with an
asterisk. These options are
optional; however no further
arguments may be entered in the
command.
Note: When specifying layer IDs
in Spyder commands, note that
the IDs start at 2. Layer ID 0 and
1 are reserved for future
commands using the two
background layers of the system.
Note: String argument spaces
must be replaced with %20 to
create a valid command, as space
is used as the argument delimiter.
Basic Preset Learn
• Command: BPL
• Argument 1: Preset ID to save current window position and keyframe
information to.
• Argument 2: Duration. This argument is optional. If not specified, duration will
default to 60.
Basic Preset Recall
This command recalls an existing basic preset from the frame, by using its
corresponding ID.
• Command: BPR
• Argument 1: Preset ID to recall from server.
• Argument 2: Duration. This argument is optional. If not specified, duration will
default to 60.
Command Description Example
BPL Learn Basic Preset BPL 1 60
BPR Recall Basic Preset BPR 1 60
ICR Input Config Recall ICR 1 2
ICL Input Config Learn ICL 1 2
SDN Restart Spyder Server SDN 0
SAV Force Server Save SAV
RSC Recall Script Cue RSC 1 2
TRN Transition Layer(s) TRN 0 60 2
KSZ Layer Size Adjust KSZ 600 2
KTL Learn Treatment
KTR Recall Treatment
SLD Still Load on Layer(s)
SCL Still Clear on Layer(s)
BTR Background Transition
BLD Background Load Image
KBD Border Adjust
KSH Shadow Adjust
CRP Crop Adjust
SRA Source Apply to Layer(s)
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Input Configuration Recall
This command loads a previously saved input configuration onto the video source of
a specified layer ID.
• Command: ICR
• Argument 1: Configuration ID. This is the ID number to store the layer ID’s
current input configuration to. Set the Configuration ID to -1 to force auto sync.
• Argument 2: The layer ID to apply the specified input configuration to.
Input Config Learn
This command saves the input configuration for a specified layer ID, to a specified
input configuration ID for later recall.
• Command: ICL
• Argument 1: Input configuration ID to save to.
• Argument 2: Layer ID to save configuration information from.
Restart Spyder Server
This command allows the user to remotely restart the server application remotely.
• Command: SDN
• Argument 1: 0 = Power Off, 1 = Restart
Force Server Save
This command forces the remote Spyder frame to flush all configuration and user
data changes to non-volatile storage.
• Command: SAV
Recall Script Cue
This command recalls an existing script at a specified cue. Use ‘Vista Advanced’
software interface to build script.
• Command: RSC
• Argument 1: Script ID to recall
• Argument 2: Script Cue to recall
Transition Layer(s)
This command transitions layers on and off of their currently assigned PixelSpace.
• Command: TRN
• Argument 1: 0 = Mix Off - 1 = Mix On
•
Argument 2: Transition Duration (in frames)
• Argument 3 ~ XX: Layer ID to transition
Layer Size Change
This command sets the horizontal size of one or more specified layers. Vertical size
adjusts automatically to ensure the layer’s aspect ratio.
• Command: KSZ
• Argument 1: Horizontal Size (in pixels)
• Argument 2 ~ XX: Layer ID to set size
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Layer Position Change
This command sets the horizontal and vertical position of one or more specified
layers. Positions are mapped in pixels, relative to the top left PixelSpace corner
associated with the layer. Position changes can be relative to the layer’s current
position, or can be an absolute position setting.
• Command: KPS
• Argument 1: 0 = Absolute Position / 1 = Relative Position
• Argument 2: Horizontal Position
• Argument 3: Vertical Position
• Argument 4 ~ XX: Layer ID to set position
Treatment Learn
This command learns keyframe attributes from a specified layer.
• Command: KTL
• Argument 1: Treatment ID to learn (-1 for next available)
• Argument 2: Layer ID to learn from
• Argument 3*: Learn Position
• Argument 4*: Learn Crop
• Argument 5*: Learn Clone
• Argument 6*: Learn Border
• Argument 7*: Learn Shadow
Treatment Recall
This command recalls a treatment to one or more specified layers.
• Command: KTR
• Argument 1: Treatment ID to recall
• Argument 2 ~ XX: Layer ID to recall treatment to
Load Still on Layer
This command loads a specified file onto one or more specified layers.
• Command: SLD
• Argument 1: File name to load
• Argument 2 ~ XX: Layer ID to load still image on
Clear Still on Layer
This command clears any loaded still image from one or more specified layers.
• Command: SCL
• Argument 1 ~ XX: Layer ID to clear still image from
Load Still on Background
This command loads a specified file onto either the current or next background layer.
The image name specified will automatically be scaled to fit the PixelSpace if the
image is not the same size as the PixelSpace it is being loaded on.
• Command: BLD
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• Argument 1: File name to load
• Argument 2: PixelSpace ID to load to
• Argument 3: 0 = Load Next / 1 = Load Current
Transition Background
This command transitions the background layers across all PixelSpaces defined in the
system. Note that it is not possible to transition individual PixelSpace backgrounds.
• Command: BTR
• Argument 1*: Transition duration (in frames)
Border Adjust
This command forces adjusts one or more specified border properties on a specified
layer. Note that the color specific arguments are optional, but all 3 (RGB) must be
specified to be processed.
• Command: KBD
• Argument 1: Layer ID to adjust
• Argument 2: Border Thickness (-255 – 255, negative for inside softness)
• Argument 3*: Color Red (0-255)
• Argument 4*: Color Green (0-255)
• Argument 5*: Color Blue (0-255)
• Argument 6*: H-Bevel offset (0-255)
• Argument 7*: V-Bevel offset (0-255)
Shadow Adjust
This command adjusts the shadow parameters for a specified layer
• Command: KSH
• Argument 1: Layer ID to adjust
• Argument 2*: Horizontal Position (0-255)
• Argument 3*: Vertical Position (0-255)
• Argument 4*: Size (0-255)
• Argument 5*: Transparency (0-255)
• Argument 6*: Outside Softness (0-255)
Crop Layer
This command sets left, right, top, and bottom cropping for one or more specified
layers.
• Command: CRP
• Argument 1: Left Crop (0.0 – 1.0)
• Argument 2: Right Crop (0.0 – 1.0)
• Argument 3: Top Crop (0.0 – 1.0)
• Argument 4: Bottom Crop (0.0 – 1.0)
• Argument 5 ~ XX: Layer ID to Apply Crop to
Source Apply
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This command applies an existing source to one or more specified layers. A source is
defined as an input configuration and a router input. Use Vista Advanced to create
sources and define connected routers.
• Command: SRA
• Argument 1: Source Name
• Argument 2 ~ XX: Layer ID to apply source to.
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Section 5: Physical Specifications
Physical Dimensions (W x H x D)
Spyder 3 RU: 17.3 x 5.3 x 22.1 inches (43.9 x 13.3 x 56.1 centimeters)
Spyder 2 RU: 17.3 x 3.5 x 22.1 inches (43.9 x 8.9 x 56.1 centimeters)
Weight
Spyder 3 RU: 33lbs (Approx)
Spyder 2 RU: 25lbs (Approx)
Power Consumption
Spyder 3 RU: 100-240V AC 375W max (Fuse: 5A Slow-Blow)
Spyder 2 RU: 100-240V AC 225W max (Fuse: 3A Slow-Blow)
Stand By Power (200 and 300 series): <20W
5.1 Rackmount Instructions
Figure 5.1 a
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